I'm With You
by V. Vichi L
Summary: Final chapter is here! "Have I mentioned that I like your bow because it's black like your skirt?" Song inspired fic. Third fic. Read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **It's Craig Bartlett's.

**Rated: **T

**Genre: **Drama/Hurt/Comfort

**Summary: **"Have I mentioned that I like your bow because it's _black_ like your _skirt_?" Song inspired fic. Read and review.

**A/N: **Thisis my third and it's inspired from Avril Lavigne's song: I'm With You. I don't know, when I first listened to it, I felt like I should write down a story. How weird. And according to my amazing friend, aurorabridge, I'll make it into three chapters. Hope you like it.

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**I'm With You**

**Written by V. Vichi L.**

**Beta-ed by aurorabridge

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**Chapter 1

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It was a dark, humid Sunday in the middle of June. The thunder clapped, warning Hillwood of the storm that was soon to arrive, but no one was outside waiting. They had all gone to seek shelter elsewhere. The town stayed silent while another clap of thunder echoed.

It was at the same time a twenty eight year old woman walked quickly on the sidewalk. She hugged her bag tightly on her chest and pulled her suitcase. She wore a black vest with a white shirt, knee-length black skirt, and black high heels. She wore a black bow atop her head. No make up, just a faded lip gloss on her lips. She stopped in front of the bus stop, seeking something in her bag. Then she took a black jacket out from her bag and put it on quickly. She then continued to walk again, before the rain caught her in the middle of the road. She quickly ran to a big tree not far from her.

She stood quietly there, lost in thoughts. She didn't care if it was raining—all she cared about was this little strange town. She had missed the little town of Hillwood. Her memories were a blur now, but the town had quite changed. It seemed like people prefer to stay in their own houses, and left the town so quiet and gray.

She looked around, watching the storm peacefully. Then she looked up at the tree behind her; she remembered this tree, but it was a blur. She looked around, and saw a butcher shop. She frowned a bit, but then looked away. Just shrug it off like it was the same butcher shop like any other. She had gone to France for a long ten years and tried her best to change, and it caused her to forget lots of things here. But if you looked through her past life, you may think it was absolutely the easy way out.

A minute passed by, and the storm was getting worse. The thunder clapped ominously everywhere…

She had a perfect job, perfect friends, perfect life, but she hadn't found a love for life. No, it wasn't because she still remembered her past love. She had forgotten about him. What was his name? Alex? Alfred? Andrew? No, she had perfectly forgotten him. She had tons of crushes, and three ex- boyfriends, but no love. And now, at twenty eight years old, she was all alone.

Her eyes caught a big bolt of lightning, as it flashed above her. She sighed, and decided to wait until it stopped; she had no choice. She laid her back on the tree, stood still like that for what seemed like eternity.

Suddenly, a sound of a car ruined her thoughts as she looked up and found a Packard stopped in front of her, on the road. The smoke from the hood made the air smelt like old oil. She frowned, and waved a hand in front of her face. The driver jumped out from his car, growled angrily at the old Packard. He looked around and found the tree she was laying on, and quickly running to it. He stood beside her and ran a hand through his wet blonde hair, sighed heavily. He looked straight at his broken Packard, slightly annoyed. He sighed desperately, watching the smoke from the hood.

She looked at him strangely, and he noticed this. He turned his head to look at her, and smiled weakly.

"It's a worse storm than… last week…" his voice trailed off as he stared at her, wide eyes and mouth agape. His smile slightly fell, and his expression was blank.

She frowned quizzically when she stared at his bewildered emerald eyes. He looked at her from toe to bow strangely, making her frown deepen. She stood there uncomfortably with him looking at her, eyes widened. Then he looked at her blue eyes—sapphire met emerald. After few minutes for what seemed like eternity, he finally spoke quietly.

"Helga?"

She blinked.

"How do you know my name?" she asked him, frowning.

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**A/N**: Cliffhanger! Please leave a review if you want to know further. Anyway, it can be a sequel of my first HA fic, Unspeakable Goodbye, but it can stand alone. And also, please ignore the grammatical errors; I'm still learning English! :p

This is the longest publishing fic I've ever made, I deserve a review! Please?

V. Vichi L.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2

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He blinked at her French accent. "Don't you remember me? I-it's me—Arnold." He grabbed her shoulders gently.

"Well hello, Arnold. I remember that we met just now." She raised an eyebrow.

His jaw dropped again, his eyes widened in shock and… was that hurt? He shook her shoulders carefully.

"I'm Arnold, Helga, don't you remember me? I'm your friend, Arnold!"

"Err, sorry, but I don't understand. I mean, I've been here just now, and I've just met you."

"Helga! I'm your _old_ friend, Arnold!" he insisted.

"Really? Well, nice to meet you again then. But I'm sorry, I don't quite remember you." She smiled sadly at him—before narrowed her eyes."Err… Yeah, I think you look kind of… familiar."

"I'm Arnold, Helga. Arnold! Let me explain. We… we went to preschool together, a-and we went to the same high school. A-and we… we saved the neighborhood together! We… we saved this!" he pointed at the tree, "We saved Mighty Pete together! We… You had always called me Football Head, Hair Boy, geek bait, and stuff. You had always thrown spitballs at me! You remember them, right?"

She frowned. "What are you talking about?"

He sighed. "Helga! R-remember when we had our first date, when you disguised yourself as my pen pal, Cecile? I-I still keep your red shoe, the shoe you left in Chez Paris? And… and when we had our second date in the same restaurant! When—when you said that you had always loved me? When I said I was confused, then you ran away? Then, four months later after that, ten years ago, you—you just left. And… and you remember when—?"

"Stop there, buddy. I don't know what you're talking about. And I'm positive I met you just now. And I think I have never done things you've just said"—the thunder clapped again—"and I have friends named Arnold, but I don't know you, if you're my old friend. But yeah, I did move from this town ten years ago and well, you look familiar. But I don't remember."

"But Helga—! Okay, now you must remember this: when we were about… err, three years old and I said something about your bow. You remember that pink bow, don't you?" He looked up at her black bow, frowning. "Why did you change it into black one?"

"Three years old is twenty five years ago, pal. I even forgot we went to the same high school together, _which means_ thirteen years ago, and now you bring me to twenty five years ago, how can I not forget?" she rolled her eyes. "And the black bow is the part of the uniform, mind you."

He sighed heavily, looked at her blue eyes desperately. "But… Have you forgotten me like that? So bad, that you even couldn't remember?"

She sighed. "I'm sorry, but really, I don't know you."

"What should I do to make you remember me, Helga?" He took her arms.

"Don't do anything because I had never known you before. Maybe you're just frustrated because your car's broken, and you met the wrong Helga which is happened to be me. Now, let's just wait until the storm stops, shall we?" she said sharply, crossed her arms, frowning in annoyance.

He stared at her in disbelief, hurt in his eyes. He sighed in defeat, laying back on Mighty Pete. He closed his eyes painfully. _Why doesn't she remember me? What have I done to her? Oh, maybe I'd hurt her heart so bad if I remember her last 'visit' to my house with that broken locket and blood and smoke. But why did she decide to forget me when I'm here and can't even forget her for these past ten years?_

There was an awkward silence (for her) and a painful silence (for him). His eyes still closed, his heart sank. She looked down at her shoes, lost in thoughts. _What was he just talking about? I have friends named Arnold, and I'm sure I just met him a few minutes ago although he looked quite familiar. And if he's right about those things we'd done when we were young, I honestly don't quite remember. I mean, I'd tried my best to be a better person these past ten years, and I pretty much forget about my past life._

She looked up at the man beside her: his eyes closed, his lips fell down, his eyebrows frowned deeply, looked like he was lost in thoughts. She felt guilty for seeing him like this. Then, she cleared her throat.

"Umm… I'm sorry."

He opened his eyes, looked at her quizzically. "Excuse me?"

She looked back."I'm sorry. For the things I said to you. Well, maybe it was my fault. I don't quite remember about the years you were talking about."

He smiled weakly. "It's okay. I'm sorry too; I kind of insisted you to remember those things." He rubbed his left arm nervously.

Although he was looking away from her, she could see the hurt and sadness in his eyes. It made her uncomfortable. She didn't like to hurt someone, and if she did it to him, it made her so… She even didn't know what, but it's…weird.

So, they were just standing there, without saying any words. Few minutes passed by, for what seemed like hours. He was the first one who broke the ice.

"So… Where do you live now?"

She looked up at the man named Arnold beside her, smiling. "Well, I moved to Paris. My family decided to move with me too, after two years I left. They sold our house. And you?"

He looked confuse for a moment, but then shook his head. "I… I live at a boarding house, a bit far from here. You know, Sunset Arms?"

She shook her head. "No. Sorry, I don't know."

He looked away. "Umm, okay."

There was an awkward silence again. That's life. She decided to break it.

"Err… Do you have a job?"

"Yeah. I have a job in publishing. As an editor. What about you?"

"That's good! I mean, I'm a writer and poetess—and journalist too. Maybe I could publish my story or article in your place one day. I'm staying here for a month anyway."

"Wow, that's wonderful! I mean, three jobs? That's cool." He smiled. "And you're staying here for a month? Have you found an apartment?"

She shook her head sadly. "No… I've just arrived here and unfortunately the rain caught me."

His face brightened. "Well, have I mentioned that I live at a boarding house?" She nodded. "Maybe you could stay there? It's a good place, you know."

Her face lit up and she smiled brightly. "Really? Wow, thank you! I mean, you're so friendly for a stranger. No, no—I mean, that's very sweet of you."

She still can't remember me, he thought. "That's okay. Maybe I could help you remember this town again."

She looked at him. "Umm… Yeah, maybe I'll need your help. And, sorry for—"

"Nah, that's okay. I mean, maybe you had tried your best to change and unfortunately, you couldn't remember the past."

"Uh huh," she mumbled in annoyance.

"Helga, may I ask you something?" he asked suddenly, staring at his shoes.

"What is it?"

"Why did you leave this town? I don't mean to be rude, but I'm just curious."

She looked at him oddly, before shook her head. "No, it's okay, Arnold."

"So? Do you mind?"

"No…" she looked up at the dark clouds thoughtfully. "The reason I left this town was because I wanted to change. To fix myself and to be much better than I used to be. You know, everyone knew me as a little naughty girl who had a not very good family. And I just had one best friend named err, Fifi, I guess. We'd lost in touch since I left. And that's all didn't matter because I thought I had a...so-called true love." She scoffed. "I mean, that's just silly crush, wasn't it? And so, I moved away to Paris, and changed." She shrugged.

He blinked. "Do you… Do you still remember him now?" he asked carefully.

"Him who?"

"Your _silly_ crush?"

She looked at him suspiciously, before chuckled. "Why the sudden interest, huh?"

He blushed a little. "No… I mean, your story is kinda… interesting."

She smiled. "Well Arnold, I don't quite remember him again. I mean, I had tried my best to change. I don't even remember his name—is it Aaron? Albert? I don't know."

"It's Arnold," he mumbled.

"What?"

"You really don't remember him?"

She frowned suspiciously, starting to be annoyed. "I told you, Arnold, I don't remember him. What is it to you?"

He looked down, suddenly found his shoes as the most interesting things in the world. "I mean… Maybe he's somewhere in this town, waiting for you?"

Her mouth dropped. Suddenly, her blood boiled. "Excuse me, but I don't care about him again, okay? If he's waiting for me, so what? He's just a silly crush. I don't want to remember him again."

"But… why?"

"Because I don't want to! Now, you absolutely don't mind if we wait again, do you?" She crossed her arms, looked at the road in annoyance.

He sighed, _I think I'd better leave her alone. This is Helga, I need to remember that.

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**A/N**:Thanksssss for all of you who reviewed this and added it to favorite! You deserve a hug! *hugs*

Okaay… So what do you think? Oh, forget my grammatical errors, please? -,-

One more chapter left and it'll be done. But if you want me to publish it faster, leave a review please. I really need that. Thanks for reading!

V. Vichi L.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

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Time passed by, and the two just stood there without saying anything. She looked around, and found the storm had stopped. It was my cue, she said to herself. She looked at him again, a little relieved that she had a reason to go. She cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Well," she said. He looked down at her. "I think the storm is gone."

He looked around, and nodded. "Yeah, I think it is."

"I _think_ I have to go." She looked down at her watch. "It's getting late."

He blinked, then looked away. "Err, yeah. But my car is broken, I think I have to repair it first."

She caught his mean and reasoned. "Actually, my friend has just texted me to stay at her house. It's not too far from here." She shook her phone in front of him and shrugged.

He looked at her for a moment disbelievingly, before nodded weakly. "Oh. Okay."

She smiled in relief. "Umm… Okay. Bye then." She started to walk away.

"Bye. Nice to meet you, Helga." He waved at her halfheartedly, felt his heart sinking. He looked away, couldn't see her go again. But it seemed like he had no choice.

She moved her feet away, decided to forget their conversation. Maybe she was right, he was just frustrated because his car's broken. _I don't even know him_, she thought, _and why did he want to know about my silly crush? It's none of his business anyway. I should've not told him about that boy. Silly crush. Ha. But why was he interested in that? And what did he mumble when I said my silly crush's name? His words just now were weird, I didn't even understand…_

—_Or did I?_

"Helga?" She heard him calling her name.

"Yes?" she turned around, trying to smile.

"Have I mentioned that I like your bow because it's _black_like your _skirt_?"

"Thank you. I told you, it's a part of the uniform anyway."

"Oh yeah. I forgot. But well, I just like it. You remind me of… well, if I tell you maybe you'd get bored." He rubbed his left arm, searching for the right words to tell her. He noticed her frown. _Maybe she really doesn't want to hear this. And well, if she does, I'll just watch her go. Again_.

"Nah, it's okay. I've told you about my story and now is your turn." She shrugged and smiled.

"You don't mind?" He looked at her in shock. When she nodded, he found the courage to just tell it to her because it seemed very right. And he hoped she didn't pay attention about their little conversation a few hours ago. "Well, it was, err… twenty five years ago. When I was a three year old little boy, the sun's gone and it was raining. It was my first day in preschool. When I arrived at the school, I saw this little girl. She looked so lonely, so sad, and vulnerable. I don't know why, but when I saw her like that—muddy and wet, letting the rain soak her little body, I felt that I had to protect her."

He paused, trying his best to remember that special moment. And he prayed she knew what he was going to say. Instead of an excuse to go, he heard her say.

"So, what's happened next?"

He looked at her for a moment, then looked away, hiding a smile. "And well… I approached her, sharing my umbrella and smiled at her." He smiled at the memory and noticed her waiting for him in the corner of his eyes. "She looked up at me when I greeted her, surprised that someone actually noticed her. Then when I saw a gleam of hope in her beautiful blue eyes, I said, 'I like your bow because it's _pink_ like your _pants_'."

"What?"

He hoped she'd caught his meaning. "I said, 'I like your bow because it's pink like your pants'."

She frowned. "That sounds like—_what_?"

Her voice trailed off dead in front of him. She blinked in shock; her eyes widened and her jaw nearly touched the ground. _I like your bow because it's pink like your pants_. She looked at him from toe to hair. She looked at his jelly bean green eyes.

Green eyes? Unruly blonde hair? _I like your bow because it's pink like your pants_. And… FOOTBALL HEAD?

Wait a minute.

"Say the sentence again?" she said curiously.

He looked up at her—she could see a hope burnt in his eyes. "I like your bow because it's pink like your pants."

"And your name?"

"Arnold."

"Your name is Arnold…" she narrowed her eyes.

He nodded. "That's my name."

She walked towards him, hearing the thunder clearly. But she didn't care. The one thing she cared about now was the man in front of her. She could feel tears welling in the back of her eyes.

"Say your name again?" she asked absentmindedly.

"Arnold."

"What did you say in that rainy day when you found the little girl?"

He looked at her hopefully, before he said, "I like your bow because it's pink like your pants."

The next thing she knew was her throwing herself into his body, hugging him tightly. His eyes widened in shock, but he hugged her back. She cried silently in his embrace, finally remembered everything. She knew she had her vow to not to remember her past life in Hillwood again. Not to remember him again. But she didn't know why, when she finally remembered it, when she finally remembered him, she couldn't help but hug him and cry. She pulled him as close as possible to make sure that it wasn't dream. That he was real.

_How could I forget my angel Arnold?_

"Helga?" he asked happily. "You… remember?"

She nodded quickly. "Yes, Arnold, yes. I remember the first time we met, the first time we dated, the first time I kissed you, the first time—"

"I know, Helga. I remember everything." He smiled, kissed the top of her head lovingly. "I'm glad you remember again."

She sobbed, rubbing his shirt tightly. She closed her eyes… The love she had left behind was about to grow again. She missed it. She missed the feeling she had had for him. She missed him.

They stood there; with Helga sniffled in his embrace, and with the smiling Arnold. He kissed the top of her head again, caressing her blonde hair. Yes, he missed her. He really, really missed her. He didn't think about any other girl but her. When he realized she was gone, he decided to wait for her. And now, he finally had her, in his strong arms. He would never let her go again. Ever.

A couple of minutes passed by. She pulled away from him, looked at him straight in the eye. He smiled at her lovingly, and she smiled back.

"Arnold… Is this really you?"

He answered her with a breathtaking kiss. Pulled her as close as possible. She gasped in the kiss, clearly shocked by his sudden action. He entered his tongue desperately, playing with hers. She blinked, but finally gave up: closed her eyes and ran her hand through his wet blonde hair. The kiss deepened when he whirled her around, pushed her gently on the tree. Tears of joy escaped her eyes, slipping through her cheeks. It wasn't a part of her plans, to kiss him under the old tree, in the end of the storm. But it didn't matter, though.

After a few minutes for what seemed like eternity, they separated for air. She gasped, realizing what they just did. She looked at Arnold's emerald eyes quizzically, confused by his action. He just smiled, and pecked her on the lips.

"What was that for?" she asked softly.

"I'm doing what I missed these past ten years." He kissed all of her face hungrily, and kissed her lips again. She just let him to do that, without knowing what he meant by that.

"Arnold…" she cupped his face with both of her hands, stopped him to kiss her again. "I don't underst—"

"I love you." He kissed her right cheek. "I love you." He kissed her left cheek. "I love you." He kissed her forehead. "I love you so much." And he kissed her lips again.

She smiled, and pulled away. "Arnold, look at me."

He blinked, and did what she asked him to do. "What's the matter? You… You don't—"

"After these ten years, I had always tried to forget you. To leave you behind with my past's dark shadow. But no, after this time, after I met you, after we talked, after we kissed—I know that I can't just let you go. I… You're too important to me. I think I've lived a lie when I told myself that I had forgotten you. I-I couldn't forget you because… well, because _I don't want to_."

He smiled, kissed her forehead. "Now, Helga, you have to say something."

She frowned. "What?"

"Those keys, Helga. You know them." He winked at her. She giggled, and kissed his cheek.

"Okay, I love you."

"Change the 'okay' with my name, Helga." He smirked.

She laughed. "Arnold, I love you."

He smiled. "So, what about the Sunset Arms? Still want to stay at your friend's house?"

She smiled. "I prefer to stay with you."

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**A/N**: Err, don't you think it's kinda weird? When Helga suddenly remembered those things again? Because I think so. But well, I have to write it down. I don't know why. *shrugs*

And I'm sorry if the characters were a bit OOC here. It's not my fault, it's my fingertips' fault! :P

And sorry if the romance didn't bite. You know, I usually write dark fics. *shrugs again*

Make me feel so loved, leave a review, people!

V. Vichi L.


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